Action area: Biodiverse forestry

Wellington has been recognised globally as a city that is bringing nature back. As well as kiwi returning, restoration efforts are also helping to increase carbon sequestration. These efforts respond jointly to the climate and ecological emergency. For example, we are working on increasing the amount of Council land that is regenerating, which has both carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits. 

Actions to improve our city’s biodiversity are also contained across several Council strategies and plans, including our biodiversity strategy Our Natural Capital and the Green Network Plan, as well as being delivered by Council-controlled organisations Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne and Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo. 

When we measure our city’s emissions, we also measure how much carbon we are pulling back down from the atmosphere in our forested land. While our targets are to reduce our gross emissions, our forestry will make an important contribution to our 2050 net zero carbon goal.

Central and regional government policy settings 

The government’s second Emissions Reduction Plan places a heavy reliance on the Emissions Trading Scheme and forestry sequestration as the main mechanisms for helping meet net carbon reduction targets. While increasing the amount of native forest has positive biodiversity benefits, relying on forestry for sequestration is risky. The impacts of climate change mean that growth patterns may differ in the future as a result of changes to seasons and average temperatures, and severe weather events will likely occur more often increasing the risk of forest loss.

The Council’s role

The Green Network Plan sets the direction and targets for how we improve and increase green space in Wellington’s central city in the next 10 years. The goal is to double the number of trees from 2,000 to 4,000, improve the greening of twenty existing spaces, and deliver two new urban parks. This will boost our climate action efforts by capturing carbon dioxide and make the city more resilient to the impacts of climate change through their cooling effect and reducing stormwater runoff. 

Restoration planting

This year we have reached 2,319,682 plants in the ground for the restoration planting programme, slightly ahead of schedule for meeting the three million target by 2030. Over 100 community groups are planting across the city to restore local reserves, sand dunes and more.

Carbon farming 

Around 3,165 hectares of Council owned land is regenerating indigenous forests, and another 418 hectares is planted in exotic forests. Of these, 1,453 hectares of indigenous and 33 hectares of exotic forests are post-1989 forests and are included in the Emissions Trading Scheme. Over time we are transitioning areas of exotic pine trees to native coastal forest species as part of our restoration planting programme.

Of these, 1,453 hectares of indigenous and 33 hectares of exotic forests are post-1989 forests and are included in the Emissions Trading Scheme. Over time we are transitioning areas of exotic pine trees to native coastal forest species as part of our restoration planting programme.

Partnerships 

In 2020, we partnered with Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington to lease 11 hectares of land for 33 years with the aim of establishing new native indigenous forests and expanding carbon sink areas within the outer green belt. Between 2021 and 2023, with the help of hundreds of university students, staff and alumni, the university planted 12,500 eco-sourced native trees on half of the 11-hectare site. The remaining half has been left to naturally regenerate. Our ongoing collaboration with the university aims to validate and register the site in the Emissions Trading Scheme given the university agreed to provide us with half of the credits generated over the 33-year term.